Global expression profiling of transcription factor genes provides new insights into pathogenicity and stress responses in the rice blast fungus.

Because most efforts to understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning fungal pathogenicity have focused on studying the function and role of individual genes, relatively little is known about how transcriptional machineries globally regulate and coordinate the expression of a large group of genes involved in pathogenesis. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we analyzed the expression patterns of 206 transcription factor (TF) genes in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae under 32 conditions, including multiple infection-related developmental stages and various abiotic stresses. The resulting data, which are publicly available via an online platform, provided new insights into how these TFs are regulated and potentially work together to control cellular responses to a diverse array of stimuli. High degrees of differential TF expression were observed under the conditions tested. More than 50% of the 206 TF genes were up-regulated during conidiation and/or in conidia. Mutations in ten conidiation-specific TF genes caused defects in conidiation. Expression patterns in planta were similar to those under oxidative stress conditions. Mutants of in planta inducible genes not only exhibited sensitive to oxidative stress but also failed to infect rice. These experimental validations clearly demonstrated the value of TF expression patterns in predicting the function of individual TF genes. The regulatory network of TF genes revealed by this study provides a solid foundation for elucidating how M. oryzae regulates its pathogenesis, development, and stress responses.

Expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the uterus of patients with leiomyoma or adenomyosis.

AIM: To confirm the difference in the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the normal endometrium and myometrium of women who have leiomyoma or adenomyosis compared with controls, and its correlation with the pathogenesis of menorrhagia or dysmenorrhea in patients with uterine leiomyoma. METHODS: Fifty-one hysterectomized patients were divided into three groups: (i) patients with leiomyoma (n=24); (ii) those with adenomyosis (n = 19); and (iii) the control group (n=8). The expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase was confirmed on immunohistochemistry and analyzed using an evaluation nomogram. RESULTS: The expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase was significantly higher in the leiomyoma group and the adenomyosis group as compared with the control group. In the subgroup analysis of leiomyoma depending on symptoms (menorrhagia or dysmenorrhea or both), the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase was significantly higher in the symptomatic subgroup than the asymptomatic subgroup (endometrium P=0.0029, myometrium P=0.0276). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings that the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase was significantly higher in the uterus with leiomyoma or adenomyosis, it can therefore be inferred that nitric oxide might have a pathological effect on the uterus with the above diseases. In particular, it is also presumed that endothelial nitric oxide synthase is closely associated with menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea.